The Lord of the Rings: Gollum may no longer be taking gamers on a tour of Middle-earth in 2021, but it would seem as though the extra development time afforded by a recent delay is working wonders on the overall quality of Daedalic Entertainment’s ambitious project.
Set long before the events depicted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books, this particular tale, as the name suggests, has players explore the realms of man, elf and dwarf from the perspective of Sméagol and his ring-obsessed alter ego, many of which have never been seen before. While no names are provided for these visually unexplored environments, producer Harald Riegler does mention iconic lands such as Mirkwood and Mordor in the showcase, teasing both with short sequences showing Gollum exploring their thick undergrowth and scorched earth respectively.
Game Producer Harald Riegler sat down with us to recall The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's unique premise and showcase @Daedalic’s depiction of Middle-Earth.@GollumGame will be available on PC & Consoles in 2022! pic.twitter.com/7ZlHU9vO9k
— Nacon (@Nacon) July 6, 2021
Concerning moment-to-moment gameplay, Riegler describes the experience as primarily a cinematic adventure with mechanics spliced together from various different genres, including platformers and stealth. Unsurprisingly, given the central character’s emaciated form and posture, direct combat is unlikely to play a large role, if any, though confrontation has yet to be ruled out.
Whatever the case, Riengler places emphasis on the team’s aim of delivering parkour gameplay, so players can no doubt expend the majority of their time scaling and surmounting difficult terrain while staying hidden from the individuals looking to capture or kill the former Stoor Hobbit. Speaking of which, in-engine models for Gandalf, Thranduil and the Mouth of Sauron confirm their presence, the latter of which will be seen here for the first time without a face-obscuring helmet.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is scheduled for release in 2022 for Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC.
